To protect these kinds of secret information, passwords of plural digits and/or characters and/or IC cards have been commonly used. In addition to or in place of such prior passwords, there exists user authentication means for authenticating a user by means of fingerprints or other physical features. Such an IC card may be used by someone other than the owner or authorized user of the IC card if it is lost or stolen.
In addition, as a prior safety measure against loss and theft of an authentication card which has secret information with cryptographic keys recorded thereon, an authentication request from an unauthorized person may be denied to reject an online connection made by that person, resulting in a transaction failure. However, there is no system to actively invalidate an electronic key (authentication card) used for an unauthorized access or inform that there occurs an unauthorized access to a restricted area or electronic device.
Therefore, if an authentication card which has secret information with cryptographic keys recorded thereon is lost, replicated, and/or stolen, there is no safety measure to be taken when the card is used fraudulently by an unauthorized person in bad faith, when a deceitful user authentication request is made by an unauthorized person in bad faith, or when an authorized user placed under the control of an unauthorized person in bad faith makes a user authentication request (authentication data entry).
It is an object of first and second embodiments of the present invention to provide means of concealing and storing secret information as well as a method of protecting secret information, wherein these means and method have functions as user authentication means but do not need fingerprint recognition or other physical feature user authentication means. It is also an object of these embodiments to provide means of concealing, recording, and storing secret information such as corporate information and technical information.
It is an object of a third present invention to detect access from an authorized user placed under the control of an unauthorized person in bad faith to allow for protection and preservation of both the user and the system.
It is an object of fourth through ninth invention to establish an alarm system and a system for informing that there occurs an unauthorized access to a restricted area or electronic device as a safety measure to be taken when secret information with cryptographic keys, a recording medium including such secret information, or an electronic and/or communication device having such a recording medium is stolen or lost, or fraudulently used by means of an invalid authentication card or leaked authentication data.